Hotbox signal



Aug. 4, 1959 Filed Sept. 16, 1958 Eye W. H. THESEN HOTBOX SIGNAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 William H. Thesen 1N VENTOR.

BY weal? WW FM 4, 1959 w. H. THESEN 2,897,775

, HOTBOX SIGNAL Filed Sept. 16, 1958 2 sheetspsheet 2 M l/[am H. Thesen P79 4 IN VEN TOR.

BY 51mm HOTBOX SI GNAL William H. Thesen, Goshen, Ind., assignor of forty percent to Carolyn Mae Thesen, Goshen, Ind., and ten percent to John R. Rarick, St. Francisville, La.

. Application September 16, 1958, Serial No. 761,348

6 Claims. (Cl. 116-102) This invention relates to signal devices, and more particularly to a signal device for railroad car journal boxes. V

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanically simple and practical device for yielding an audible signal prior to a hotbox condition of a journal box of a railroad car. In this way, the heated condition, beyond safe operating level, of the railroad journal box is easily detected and corrected.

A signal device constructed in accordance with this invention has a heat sensing element, for instance, a bimetal element disposed in the journal box and connected with a valve actuation mechanism. Undue heat in the journal box regulated by either adjustment and/or selection of heat sensing element causes the valve actuation assembly to function whereby a whistle becomes registered with a source of air under pressure. The whistle, therefore, is blown advising the oiler or other member of the train crew to quickly locate the overheated journal and avoid a hotbox.

In the event of a series of overheated journals, or a single heated journal which has been overlooked, the air pressure would drop enough to Warn the engineer that he is losing air pressure and of the danger of an overheated journal or hotbox. This would result in the engineer slowing down or braking the air line and locking the wheels and stopping the train.

These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical journal box fitted with a safety device to forewarn of a hotbox condition;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the signal device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 4--4 of Figure 3.

In the accompanying drawings, there is a very small portion of a railway car including a typical journal box 12 having a door 14 and a wall 16. The wall 16 has an aperture 20 which may be drilled and tapped to accept the sleeve fitting 22 of safety device 24. The safety device consists of a case 26 having a bottom, front, rear 28 and top wall 30. The rear wall 28 has an aperture 32 connected with fitting 22 for supporting the casing. Nut 34 is attached to the part of the fitting 22 located in the casing 26. This is merely one suggested manner of attaching the casing to the journal box, and others may be adopted.

Fitting 22 is hollow and accommodates housing 38 within which heat sensing element 40 is located. The heat sensing element is preferably a helical bimetallic strip attached at one end, for instance, by a rivet 42, to the ring 50. The opposite end of heat sensing element 40 is attached, for instance, by a rivet 46 to spindle 44. Locking and adjustment ring 50 is disposed in the housing 38 and friotionally held in a selected adjusted position or, if desired, held by using a conventional fastener. v

The inner end of spindle 44 is passed through an opening 54 in nut 34 and has a cam 56 secured to it, as by setscrew 58.

Cam 56 constitutes a part of a valve actuation mechanism. The cam is in contact with a push rod 60 that is pressed by spring 62 against the surface of the cam; Spring 62 bears against valve body 64 and against a washer 66 attached to rod 60. Therefore, the bias of the spring is in a direction tending to press the inner end of the rod 60 against the surface of cam 56 and the outer end of rod 60, containing valve element '70, against valve seat 72. The valve body has intersecting passages 74 and 76, with passage 74 registered with valve chamber 78 in which valve element 70 is located. Passage 76 is in registry with conduit 80, the latter attached to valve body 64 and to the body 82 or wmstle 84. The whistle is a conventional whistle fastened to the selected front lace 31 of the casing 26.

A source or air under pressure is used for operating the Whistle 84. This source is that which is conventional in railway trains, and it is piped to the valve chamber 78 by a flexible nose 88 attached to conventional nose coupling 9h. The conventional hose coupling is fastened to the threaded end 92 of the valve body 64, this end passing through an aperture 94 in a wall of casing 26 and held in place by nuts 96 and 93 on the threaded end 92 of the valve body and bearing against opposite surfaces of the wall housing 26.

In use and operation, the temperature level in the journal box is continually sensed by the neat sensing element 40. In one embodiment of the invention, the selection and adjustment of element 40 is made so that shank 44 will tend to rotate due to the exertion of a force of considerable proportion. Shank 44 will rotate 45 at a temperature of 300 F. in the journal box, which in turn will exert a torque of ZOO-inch ounces on the valve through the developed rise on cam 56. This is sufiicient to oppose the yielding opposition of spring 62 to the extent of opening the normally closed valve, and thereby admits air through the passages to the Whistle 84. This blows the whistle. As soon as the whistle is heard, proper correction is made in the journal box to prevent a hotbox condition.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A safety attachment for a journal box to detect a rise in temperature in the journal box beyond a predetermined level, said safety device comprising a heat sensing element, a valve, means for connecting said valve to a source of air under pressure, a rotary cam operated by said heat sensing element and operatively connecting said sensing element to said valve to actuate said valve when said heat sensing element detects a heat condition in the journal box beyond said predetermined level and thereby opens saidvalve to admit air to pass through said valve, and signal producing means operatively connected with said valve and actuated in response to the passing of air through said valve.

2'. A safety attachment for a journal box to detect a I rise in temperature in the journal box beyond a predetermined level, said safety device comprising a heat sensing element, a valve, means for connecting said valve to a source of air under pressure, means operatively connecting said valve tosaid heat sensing element to actuate said valve when said heat sensing element detects a heatcondition in the journal box beyond said predetermined level and thereby opens said valve to admit air to pass through said' valve, and signal producing means operatively connected with said valve and actuated in response to the passing of air through said valve, said valve actuating means including a cam, said valve having a valve stem in contact with the surface of said cam, said heat sensing element including a bimetallic element and a spindle connected to said element and on which said cam is secured. 3. The signal device of claim 2 wherein said valve also includes a valve body accommodating said valve stem, a spring reacting on said valve body and said valve stem retaining said valve in a normally closed position. 4. The signal device of claim 3 wherein said signal producing device consists of a whistle, said 'valve having passages and a valve element, said passage being in said valve body, said valve element attached to said stem, said passages being on the downstream side of said valve 4 element, and said passages connecting with said whistle.

5. The signal device of claim 3 wherein said bimetallic element is attached at one end to said spindle, a locking and adjusting ring adjacent to said valve element and to which the opposite end of said element is connected.

6. In a signal device for the journal box of a railway car and wherein the journal boxhas a wall, said signal device comprising a heat sensory element, means supporting said heat sensory element and disposed in an aperture in the wall of said journal box so that at least a portion of said element is located in the journal box, a normally closed 'valve adapted to be connected with a source of air under pressure, said valve including a valve operating member, and means connected with said element and said valve operating member for opening said valve in response to a rise in temperature within the journal box above a predetermined level, said valve actuating means including a spindle connected with said element, a cam on said spindle, said valve actuating member in contact with said cam and adapted to be motivated by said cam in response to movement of said cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Marks Sept. 5, 1950 

